gouging, bargains, and Brimfield
Hey,
Actually, the booth Gary showed is loaded with toasters, blenders, and the like. This guy does take some time with his stuff and doesn't buy restoration pieces, but in general, I think Rich would agree with me that the prices are pretty well in line, maybe high retail sometimes, but there are a few things to be had at 'good' prices too. His profit margin isn't that high, which we know for a fact as some of the pieces in the pic are duplicates he bought from us last show!
But, this is Brimfield. It's almost a mile long on both sides of Rt 20, and each major field of dealers is about 10-12 double-sided rows deep! Much bigger than the Big Flea, Scott's, Renninger's and the like. That's a lot of stuff, and there's stuff there you didn't even know existed! I'm posting a pic with this message that shows maybe about 1/3 of the whole show. When one collector went with us in May, he wanted a certain coffee pot and almost ponied up $40 for it. We told him he'd see a lot more, and he did. Same pot for about $30; didn't buy it. Finally got one for $22, then kicked himself an hour later when he saw one for $14. Each of the ones he looked at was clean, not chipped, complete, and in good condition. But, the highest priced one was at a dealer who specializes in these types of things. There is a premium to be paid at these booths, and sometimes there's a guarantee with these kinds of dealers. With some variance for location, the booth with the $14 pot cost the same to rent as the one with the $40 pot. It's just that some dealers are willing to make a little profit and turn goods over, while others like to get every penny something's worth, even if they have to sit on it a while.
Appliguy, you might want to look into getting Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish. Works great on chrome and it's at least half the price of Simi Chrome. Look at Walmart in the automotive polish section.
Thanks for posting the poodle lap Gary! When I saw that Friday morning, my Gay-O-Meter pinned!!!! The only way it could have been more gay was if it was pink (well, and maybe in Ron's house!!!)!
Chuck